Young artists’ festival: a venue for installation art (May 1, 2007)

Cobweb by Nguyen Huy
Tinh.

The Young Artist Festival which opened last week
at the Hanoi University of Arts offered a showcase for those who are
passionate about installation art.

On display are 57 works by 25 young artists
nationwide. According to artist Dao Minh Tri, chairman of the Ho Chi Minh
City Fine Arts Association, the host of the event, works exhibited are
divided into four types, including video art, performance
art, sculpture and installation art.

He also said that the
festival is designed to encourage young artists who are keen on installation
art, a genre that is still new in Vietnam.

Artist Tran Luong, curator of
the event, expressed the view that the majority of the works were of good
artistic merit, including works by Nguyen Hong Hai, Ly Hoang Ly , Nguyen
Xuan Hoa and Phan Thi Thao Nguyen. He also said that most of the works were
premiering for the first time. He was however disappointed by the number of
works which although of high quality, had previously been exhibited.

Rubber tree by Nguyen Ngoc Lam.

He added that the exhibition
should be seen as a playground for young artists to explore a new trend in
Vietnamese contemporary art.

The festival is sponsored by the Vietnam-Sweden
Cultural Fund, the Denmark Fund and the Ministry of Culture and
Information.